Frank and Fiancés
by Dr. Austin A. Winchester
Summary: "I think we should just come right out about our engagement. You know, just be frank about it." "Uh Ally, who's Frank?" Austin and Ally tell their friends and family about their engagement. The sequel to Dater's and Decisions.
1. Frank

**Author's note: If you've checked out my profile, you know this series is completely out of order. But that's okay, because most of the stories for this series can be read as standalone fics. This is the sequel to Daters and Decisions.**

**Disclaimer: **If I owned anything, Austin Moon would be in my house serenading me. But, he's not. So, obviously, I don't own anything.

Algebra had to be the worst school subject in the history of school subjects. Austin Moon had already failed it twice, and yet he didn't see the point of finding 'x'. Why would anybody in their right mind want to mix the alphabet with numbers anyways? Besides, it totally went against what teachers taught him in elementary school. The letters of the alphabet were reserved for reading alone, much like the numbers were reserved for math. If letters and numbers had to mix, it should be solely for internet short hand and not algebra.

Like he was using short hand right now to text Ally who was in a similar and equally boring lecture down the hall while the teacher babbled on about using y to find x once you have found the value of y.

Wait, what? He had to find y now too? What next? Would he have to find lmnop?!

Glancing back up to chalkboard quickly to make sure the teacher wasn't looking at him, Austin quickly sent the text as he hastily scribbled in his open notebook that had absolutely nothing to do with math. It was probably a good thing his mother had stopped checking his homework a long time ago, otherwise she'd see the name Ally Dawson along with many other embarrassing doodles that any teenage boy would be embarrassed to admit to. Feeling his phone vibrate, Austin quickly looked back down at the phone. Glancing back up to the front of the classroom, Austin watched the teacher's beady eyes steadily shift from one student to the other, trying to figure out who was using a cell phone in class. Risking a quick peek at the tiny device in his hands, he read the reply Ally had sent.

_We need to talk later. And pay attention. _

Shifting his eyes back up, Austin gulped as his gaze slowly wandered up to his teacher's face, who had not been standing directly in front of his desk like that a minute ago with his brows raised to his hairline and his arms crossed, resembling an angry mother.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Moon," he scolded, causing Austin to wince as he sheepishly handed over his cell phone. "I will see you in detention."

Austin groaned. It wasn't ten o'clock yet and he managed to get in trouble. Today was not his day.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Austin silently cheered. He only had ten minutes left until he saw the girl that had taken up permanent residence in his heart and his mind. Then, he had a whole three minutes with her before they parted ways for their third period classes. It rather sucked that she wasn't in all of his classes. Why'd the girl have to be so smart and take a bunch of AP classes meaning that he only got to see her in chorus, band, and that stupid English Literature class she begged him to take with her? Oh yeah, because Ally had always taken school seriously and she had planned to get into a good university to further her education. At least that was her plan until her mind was undoubtedly changed on Saturday.

Saturday had been a complete disaster compared to what he had planned out in his head, Austin mused. He had planned to take her on a picnic in their practice room at Sonic Boom with music playing in the background. He had a beautifully romanticized speech planned out as well. It was going to be perfect so Ally Dawson would never forget the day he proposed to her. Well, the way it all turned out, seeing her at the piano, completely freezing, babbling like an idiot, before announcing, "I want you to be my wife!" Austin knew that there was no way Ally could forget the day he proposed. It was absolutely ironic how the most hopeless romantic, _I love love_ girl, said yes to the most unromantic proposal in the history of marriage proposals.

As soon as the school bell blared, announcing the end of class, Austin shot to his feet and rushed out of class to meet up with Ally by her locker. His beautiful fiancé stood before her locker, neatly organizing her books in order of her class schedule as she always did. Standing directly behind her, Austin flipped her long hair over her left shoulder before grabbing her slim waist and planting delicate little kisses along her jaw and neck line.

Feeling someone grab her from behind, startled Ally, causing her to drop her textbook. "Austin, stop!" she hissed at him once the ministrations on her neck began. "We're in school!"

"So?" Austin murmured, flipping her around so that she was flush against him. Hands still on her waist, he stooped down, capturing her lips in a kiss.

"Austin!" she exclaimed, placing her hands flat on his chest to create some distance between them. When he tried to kiss her again, she pushed him away from her. Ignoring him now, she turned around and picked up the forgotten textbook on the ground. Hugging the book tightly to her chest, she turned back to face the waiting boy. Seeing that Austin was daydreaming by the faraway look in his eye, Ally grabbed his wrist. Forcefully, she yanked him over to a nearby bench so they could sit down.

"What?" Austin asked, a smirk playing across his lips. "You wanna make out?"

Appalled at the suggestion to make out, Ally playfully slapped his shoulder. She and Austin had to talk about how they wanted to tell everyone. It was killing Ally to keep it all a secret. "Austin," she sighed his name, becoming rather serious. Seeing just how serious Ally was, Austin dropped his smirk and folded his hands neatly in his lap as he waited for her to continue. Closing her eyes so they were tight shut, Ally let out a deep breath. If many of their peers had noticed the shimmering diamond ring on her left hand, they hadn't of said anything to her, choosing to talk about it behind her back. Which Ally was grateful of because she and Austin hadn't discussed how they were going to tell their friends or family of their zany engagement plans. In fact only of their classmates had said anything to Ally about the ring.

"I'm sorry," Sophie Morris had said to her in their second period Chemistry lab.

"For what?" Ally asked, her brow knitted in confusion, never taking her eyes off of her worksheet as her pencil gracefully danced across the paper, revealing her perfectly legible handwriting. Ally had hardly every spoken two words to the haughty blonde cheerleader before and wondered why the cheerleader was suddenly speaking to her now.

Sophie's blue eyes connected with Ally's brown ones from across the lab station they were working at. "Everyone knows you're pregnant, Ally." She stated, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean why else would Austin Moon want to marry someone like you?"

Slamming her pencil down on the countertop, Ally fumed, wondering if it were possible for steam to be streaming from her ears like in the cartoons she used to watch as a child. "I'm not pregnant," Ally huffed, leaning in closer to the snobby cheerleader. Sophie was an expert manipulator and the more agitated her opponent was, the dirtier she played. But thanks to having friends such as Austin and Trish, Ally had learned to stand her ground, not letting anyone take advantage of her docile nature. "You're just jealous because you know that Austin loves me and he would never give you the time of day."

It wasn't long after that that Austin had texted her.

"Austin," she sighed again, relishing Austin's touch as he placed a strong hand on her arm. Feeling his strength, Ally found herself able to continue. Letting out a slow, steady breath, she continued. "We need to tell everyone about our engagement," she said. "People are talking about us behind my back and the cheerleaders think I'm pregnant with your baby."

Leaning forward, Austin gently pressed his lips upon hers. "That'd be hot," he whispered, his voice low and husky.

Ally pulled away, clutching the textbook tighter to her chest as if it were a protective barrier against Austin's attacks. "I'm serious, Austin," she sighed, exasperated. "As much as I want to keep this just between us a little longer, I can't handle the entire student body talking about us behind my back!" She jumped to her feet and started pacing, like she had done moments after Austin's crazy proposal.

Pushing any thoughts of Ally being pregnant with his child out of his head, Austin knew that Ally was stressing out about this. Sighing, he stood up and took the textbook being held firmly in her grasp. The textbook was being clung to for dear life as Ally refused to relinquish her hold on it. However, Austin was able to pry it out of her hands. Letting the book flop onto the bench they had just occupied, Austin slowly stepped forward and pulled her ridged body into a tight embrace to calm her down.

_Ba-ring!_

The school bell chimed, signaling the start of third period. Groaning, the two teenagers reluctantly pulled away before sprinting down the hall hand in hand to their classes.

**xXx**

The couple had fifth period together. Band. Unfortunately, Austin being in the trumpet section and Ally being in the clarinet section, they seemed to be miles apart from each other. This bothered Austin now because he could see how uneasy Ally looked. With her hunched shoulders, Austin knew that the girl was not relaxed as she normally was when it came to playing music. Taking his trumpet away from his lips, Austin sighed. He'd never really thought of any consequences before proposing to her. While half of the student body would be excited and happy for her, the other half would be insanely jealous that Austin Moon proposed to her, claiming her as his. Just like he knew a majority of his fan base would be jealous that he wanted Ally Dawson and not one of them. Ally wanted to tell their friends and family. Although she hadn't of come out and said it yet, Austin knew she wanted to divulge the secret as soon as possible. He would go along with it just to make her happy as long as they could keep the secret from the media for as long as possible.

Trying to push Ally out of his head, Austin placed the musical instrument back to his lips to play. However, one glance at the music in front of him reminded him that he was lost. Sighing, he took the trumpet away from his lips again and looked to Ally seated in the front row of the clarinet section.

She seemed to be having just as much trouble focusing today as he was, Austin noticed watching her hold the clarinet between her legs with her knees as she used her hands to tie her long hair back into a ponytail like she normally did for gym class. Ally normally wore her hair down, the way Austin liked it. While most teenage girls pulled their hair back into ponytails daily, Ally only did for gym class or when she was stressed.

When he proposed to her, he assumed nothing would change. He was wrong because everything seemed to change in just three short days.

Ally was stressed out more than she usually was it came to school. Saturday night after the proposal, Austin and Ally had had a bonfire and set fire to her acceptance letters and college brochures. College was one less thing she had to worry about now. So then she really only had to worry about her upcoming exams.

Until the stupid cheerleaders decided to harass her. And to think he actually used to like them. He'd stopped liking them when he realized that shy songwriters were more his type than outgoing cheerleaders. And boy was he glad for that. There was so much more to Ally's character than just what people saw on the surface and Austin couldn't wait for the rest of his life with her always by his side.

When the last song ended and their director, Miss Hansen, congratulated them all on a good rehearsal, Austin flew out of his seat and was by Ally's side so fast before one had time to say, "A monkey's uncle."

"So let's finish that conversation we were having earlier," he suggested as they walked to their band lockers to put their instruments away.

"We're still in class Austin," she reminded him, disassembling her clarinet to neatly put it back into the safe confines of its case. "Besides it lunch time."

"How about we talk during lunch?" He suggested then.

"Yeah," she snorted sarcastically. "Cause we can discuss _this _with Dez and Trish around."

Sighing, Austin grabbed her arm before she could wander away from him. "How about I go and grab us some lunch while you wait here? We can eat in here and talk. If I run into either one of them, I'll tell them we're working on a new song."

"Fine," Ally sighed.

"Great!" Austin replied, wrapping his strong arms around her small body in a loving embrace. He immediately pulled away from her when the bell rang signifying the end class and joined in the mad dash of students resembling a herd of raging rhinos as they ran to the cafeteria.

Shaking her head, Ally slumped to the floor, leaning against the wall as she waited for Austin to come back with some lunch for them. Sighing, Ally hoped that Austin returned soon so her racing mind could be eased. Tons of girls were already jealous. Trish would be upset for not being the first to know. Her dad would be upset that Austin didn't ask for his permission. This was definitely not going the way she had planned it all out in her head.

"Are you okay, Ally?" Miss Hansen asked, sitting cross legged on the ground so that she was facing the distressed teenager. Pushing her black hair out of her face, the young band director searched Ally's expressionless face for an answer.

"I'm fine," Ally assured her teacher. "I'm just thinking about my relationship with Austin."

"If I had a ring on my finger like that, I'd be thinking a lot about my relationship too," Miss Hansen replied with a smile.

Gazing down at the engagement ring on her finger, Ally sighed. The classmates who didn't ignore the diamond on her finger, congratulated her. Except for Sophie Morris who harassed her. Not to mention, her best friend would be upset for not being the first to know and her father would be disappointed in her that she decided not pursue her dream of going to college. It was all a big mess and if Ally had known that things would be this stressful, she would have said no and told Austin to ask her again in five years. Feeling a pressure on her shoulder, Ally looked up and saw Miss Hansen's comforting hand on her shoulder.

Ally liked her band teacher. Miss Hansen was the youngest teacher in the school at the age of 29 and really connected with each and every one of her students. She also had a way of knowing how to cheer any upset students too, understanding the stress of school and relationships. Those students too afraid to talk to the aging guidance counselor had no trouble talking to Miss Hansen. She listened. Besides, she had a keen eye for details, knowing exactly what one was trying to hide. Therefore it was no wonder that she had noticed the ring that had not resided on Ally's finger the week before.

"There's no doubt that boy is crazy about you," Miss Hansen smiled. "Everything'll turn out fine. You'll see." Then, she removed the pressure on Ally's shoulder and stood up to go eat her own lunch.

Austin stocked the lunch tray up with several different food items from the vast selections of the al a carte line, unsure of what Ally wanted for lunch. One piece of pepperoni pizza, one hot ham and cheese sandwich, French fries, a fruit cup, a raw veggies cup, tortilla chips and taco dip, two cartons of chocolate milk and two cherry popsicles for dessert would have to suffice Austin mused as he was running out of options and lunch money. Hopefully Ally was okay with it.

"Hungry today," Brenda, the lunch attendant asked him, making small talk as she totaled the amount.

Austin shook his head, handing her his lunch money to pay. "I'm getting lunch for my girlfriend too," he explained. Brenda smiled at his answer before letting him get lost into the sea of hungry students.

The cafeteria was always buzzing with excitement as students animatedly chatted with their friends over lunch. Occasionally things got really exciting as minor food fights broke out between nearby tables, spilling food on the floor. It was always funny watching unsuspecting passersby slipping on fallen food and falling on their backsides. Other times things got suspenseful when two girls broke out in a cat fight over a guy or when two guys went head to head in a fist fight because of something offensive the other had said.

Today, though things were quite calm as Austin made his way through the maze of his classmates to leave the room and go back to a patiently waiting Ally.

"Austin!"

Hearing his name being called out, Austin picked his head up and searched the crowd for the familiar voice. Dez sat alone at their usual table, waving him over. As excited as he was about marrying Ally and as much as he wanted to run over to his best friend, exclaiming, "She said yes!" He didn't. This made Austin feel bad. Dez was like his brother. He knew all of his secrets and his fears. They told each other everything. Except Dez would have to wait to find out until he and Ally could discuss this. Shaking his head, he shrugged once before leaving the cafeteria.

Back in the band room, Austin placed the try in front of them before taking a seat on the floor next to Ally. Reaching forward, Ally grabbed one of the milk cartons and opened it. Taking a sip, she watched as Austin took a bite out of the pizza. Sighing, she grabbed a French fry and popped it into her mouth.

"Does your dad know?" Austin asked, swallowing a bite of pizza.

"Nope," Ally replied with a shake of her head. "He was away at a kazoo convention in Vegas."

Placing the piece of pizza back down on the paper plate on his lap, Austin looked over at Ally. "They have kazoo conventions in Sin City?"

"I guess," Ally shrugged, unwrapping the hot ham and cheese sandwich from its foil wrapper. Dainty chewing a bite of the sandwich, Ally glanced sideways at Austin. Looking into his hazel colored eyes as if they were a window to see into his soul, Ally could see what he was thinking about. Austin Moon didn't always wear his emotions on his sleeves. No matter what he was feeling though, his emotions always shone vividly in his eyes. Right now they were shining with nothing but love for her. "Do your parents know?" She whispered.

Austin shook his head no. "I thought you might want to tell them together," he said.

Ally nodded in agreement. It definitely would help to have Austin there when she told her parents and Austin was probably thinking the same thing about her. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she sighed. The rest of the food lay forgotten on the tray. "I think we should come right out about our engagement," she said, closing her eyes as she relaxed against him. "You know, just be frank about it."

Austin nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he said, turning his head so that he was staring into her beautiful brown eyes. Austin placing a chaste kiss to her head caused her to blush. Pulling away from her, Austin looked at her with furrowed brows. "Uh Ally."

Ally opened her eyes at the sound of her name resonating from his lips. His expression told her that something was wrong. A little concerned, she asked, "Yes, Austin?"

"Who's Frank?"

Amused, Ally shook her head allowing her mirth out in the form of laughter.

**xXx**


	2. Fiancé

Sighing, Ally dumped her backpack behind the counter of Sonic Boom. Grateful that school was over, Ally was glad to be able to think about something other than her classmates. Eyeing the glittering diamond on her left hand, she smiled. Austin was absolutely crazy for wanting to get married so young. Maybe she was a little crazy too for saying yes, but she didn't care. She loved him and wondered what the rest of her life might be like with Austin.

"Hey Honey," her father Lester greeted her, stepping out of his office. "How was school?"

Immediately, Ally dropped her hand so that her father wouldn't see the ring. She and Austin had agreed to tell their parents as a couple and she couldn't tell her father now, because half of the couple was still sitting in detention.

"It was good," she lied.

"That's great!" Lester exclaimed as he descended the stairs to the main level of the music store. "You'll be okay here by yourself, won't you Sweetie?" He asked.

Ally rolled her eyes at her father's question. He always asked her that question before he left the store. Even when she told him that she could really use his help, he still left. "Yeah, I'll be fine, Dad."

"Great!" Lester exclaimed before walking out of the back door, not bothering to tell his daughter where he was disappearing to.

Once her father was gone, Ally sighed, leaning against the counter. So far it's been a long day and Ally had a feeling it was about to get crazier once Austin, Dez, and Trish arrived and she finally told her father the truth. Grabbing a pen and her precious songbook from her backpack, she flipped to an empty page. Hastily, she scrawled away in her neat handwriting about Austin, her classmates, and the day's events.

Wishing that Austin would arrive soon, Ally closed her book and closed her eyes as her mind flashbacked to Saturday. She had been shocked when Austin had stated that he wanted to marry her. And while she may have been scared, she was excited. Oh, who was she trying to kid? She was still scared of the future. Scared, but excited. God, she was excited.

"_You will marry me?"_

"_Yes, Austin!"_

The kiss had been mind-blowing, sending shocks of electricity down her spine. It was as if Austin had poured every ounce of his feelings, every fiber of his being into that kiss, just as she was doing to him. Their first kiss, amazing as it was, was short and experimental. The reenactment of that day for Dez's rockumentary had been intense and passionate. And while other kisses they've shared had been passionate, not one of them had matched the intense passion of that one. It was the kind of kiss that easily left one's chest heaving, fighting for every breath.

Her vision growing dark because of a pair of hands covering her eyes, she was brought of her daydream. Ally heard a familiar voice ask, "Guess who?"

Tapping her chin with her pointer finger, Ally pretended to be deep in thought about the question. "Hm," she pondered. "Johnny Depp?"

"Why would Johnny Depp want to see you?"

Frowning, Ally kept up her guessing game. "Orlando Bloom?" She inquired.

"No, but I can do a fairly decent British accent."

"Hunter Hayes?" Ally gushed, dreaming about the young musician.

"Cuter and younger."

"Ross Lynch?"

"Name one thing he has that I don't!" the voice whined.

Smiling, Ally pulled away. She turned around so that she could see her captor. Austin Moon stood before her, pouting as he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked so cute standing there. Sliding up to him, Ally pulled at his hands to uncross his arms. Then, snuggling into his chest, she sighed content.

"As much as I like those other guys," she mumbled into his chest. "I only ever want it to be you surprising me like that."

Good, Austin thought to himself as he securely wrapped his arms around her petite waist.

Austin Moon was so much cooler than Ross Lynch anyhow.

When Ally pulled out of his embrace, he kissed her.

Surprised by his actions, Ally gasped against the kiss as her eyes grew round like saucers. But enjoying the sensation of his lips on hers, she relaxed into his lip's caress and allowed for him to lead her away from the counter and to the side wall where the cushioned benches resided.

Sonic Boom was quiet, leaving Austin and Ally alone to amuse themselves as they waited for their friends to arrive. Needing air, Ally pulled out of Austin's kiss so that she could breathe. Taking a seat, Ally rested her head against the wall, breathing deeply. Austin stooped in front of her as they patiently waited for Dez and Trish so they could start the Team Austin and Ally meeting. At least, Austin was amusing himself in the form of Ally's lips. Ally however, did not find it so amusing and pulled out of his kiss again.

"Austin," she pouted, her bottom lip protruding surprisingly far.

Amused and perhaps a little turned on, he lightly kissed her again. "Ally," Austin mimicked her voice before kissing her again, much more intensely.

Needing space, Ally opted to pull out of the kiss. Again, she pulled away from him and making sure that there was a healthy boundary between the two of them, she placed an open hand on his chest. She could feel the intense thump of his heart, beating against his chest. Deciding to respect her wishes, Austin opted to sit next to her on the bench. Ally sighed and opened her mouth to say something. She found herself unable to continue however because Austin had interrupted her once again.

"Do we have to tell them?"

Ally groaned. Repositioning herself so she was facing Austin once again, she leaned in closer to him. She nodded her head in answer to his question. "Yes Austin," she said, placing a hand behind his head, her fingers playing in his mop of blonde hair at the nape of his neck. She lightly kissed him. If she was all of a sudden trying to seduce him, it was working, Austin mused. "I mean I'm not exactly your girlfriend anymore," she cooed.

"You're not?" Austin gulped.

Unsure of what had gotten into her, but knowing she liked having this kind of effect on Austin, Ally kissed him again. "No Austin," she confirmed in a low whisper against his lips. "I-"

"You're not?" A voice squeaked in shock.

Surprised to learn that they were no longer alone, Ally jumped away from Austin to see Dez shoving his fist into his mouth to avoid crying or saying something stupid. Glancing at Austin, she knew right away that he wished Dez and Trish would suddenly disappear.

His pants were fitting tighter and it was Ally's fault. Taking a deep breath, Austin tried to calm himself down. Normally, he was the one to initiate their kisses as Ally was normally too flustered and too embarrassed. Though now, it was as if she had no issues with public displays of affection. Shaking his head, he eyed his friends.

Shoving Dez out of the way to make herself known, Trish stalked up to the couple who were sitting side by side on the cushioned benches inside Sonic Boom. When she was directly in front of them, she slapped their cheeks which resonated a loud smacking sound. "Seriously?" She glared at the couple. Her hands were now on her hips and she was mad. "My parents kidnapped and dragged me to Tallahassee to visit my stupid relatives and I get back just to find out you've broken up? Again?!"

This wasn't how Austin and Ally planned to tell them. "What?" Austin asked, glancing at Ally.

"No," Ally tried to explain with a shake of her head.

Watching Ally, an idea flashed in Austin's mind like a light bulb. This thought caused him to smirk. If she could act all sexy and kiss him like that in her father's store, then he could do this to her in her father's store. First, he glanced at Ally before looking over at Trish and Dez. "If we broke up," he said in the form of a question. "Would I do this?" Then, as if to prove his point, Austin breathed deeply and cupped Ally's face in his strong hands. Next, he roughly and passionately crashed his lips onto hers.

Uncomfortable with how roughly Austin was kissing her, Ally tried to pull away but found that she couldn't and obliged, kissing him back. Austin was much too strong for her. It wasn't that she had a problem with kissing him, in private that is. She tried to shy away from kissing him in public though. However, since Austin's zany proposal on Saturday, Ally felt that their handful of kisses had become steamier. Even their touching seemed to become just a little more intimate. Feeling Austin shove his tongue into her mouth, Ally paused. Never before had they ever gone that far. Shocked, Ally's body went ridged. But, Austin kept up the massage with his lips. Realizing that she kind of enjoyed the assault of Austin's lips on her, Ally allowed her tongue to battle for dominance with his. Smiling against his lips, she fisted her fingers to play with his t-shirt, his hair, or wherever they could find. Ally didn't know much of anything at this point. All she knew was that she wanted to be with Austin. When the necessity of oxygen became too great to avoid, their lips detached, leaving them both flustered but smiling.

Blinking from the shock of witnessing the make out session, Dez removed his fist from his mouth. "Wow," he snorted to the flustered couple. His voice increased in pitch. "You are really friendly to your friends."

Trish had a different reaction than the ginger haired boy. Menacingly, she stepped forward, clasping their shoulders. Leaning in close to them, she broke their personal space bubbles to begin her interrogation. Ally nervously glanced at Austin. "As proud and surprised as I am that Ally actually went that far," Trish said, narrowing her eyes. "What the heck was that about?"

Leaning back to cower away from Trish's imposing stare, Ally nervously and uncomfortably looked at her friends. One glance at Austin and she seemed to get her strength back. Smiling, she continued to look at him. Holding up her left hand to reveal the glittering diamond ring to her friends she continued. "I'm not his girlfriend anymore, because I'm his fiancé."

That bit of news was like blow to the gut for both Dez and Trish. While both of them knew that Austin and Ally's relationship was becoming quite serious in such a short time, neither of them expected them to think about marriage quite so soon.

Yet, Dez was happy for his friends. Austin had always been popular with girls, but no girl had ever made him quite as happy as Ally did. Ally just seemed to have something about her that had always drawn Austin to her. Ever since that fateful day almost four years before when she had scolded him for playing the drums with corn dogs, it was as if Austin couldn't get enough of her. And while he still claimed that he hadn't of stole her song on purpose, Dez knew the truth. Austin wanted to see the girl again and he wanted to get under her skin so that even if she did walk out of his life, she wouldn't and couldn't forget him.

Excitedly, he grabbed Ally's hand and pulled it closer to his face. The small proximity of space between her hand and his face had Ally slightly startled and she tried to pull it away from him. "Oh," Dez purred, turning Ally's hand this way and that, glancing at the diamond from all directions, watching it catch in the light. "That's pwerty."

Uncomfortable with the attention Dez was giving her, Ally snatched her hand away from his face and entwined it with Austin's. Feeling her fiancé rub his thumb over her knuckles, Ally smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. Snuggling in closer to him, she sighed in content. She enjoyed his touch and felt she could not get enough of it. Never before had she of thought that she'd ever be so crazy in love, but here she was, wishing that Austin would never let go of her hand.

Placing a hand on Austin's shoulders, Dez smiled and matter-of-factly said, "You have a good taste in jewelry, Buddy."

Austin frowned, finding himself uncomfortable with his best friend's comment. Scooting closer to Ally, he watched her admiring her shimmering ring. He smiled, realizing that Dez was right. Maybe he did have a good taste in jewelry. After all, Ally sure seemed to like it.

Trish had a completely different reaction than Dez. "Fiancé?!" She shouted. Jabbing her rather sharp manicured nail into Austin's chest she asked him, "Do you even know what the word fiancé means?"

Her question brought back memories from his proposal, making him smile, amused. Ally had asked him similar questions, quizzing him. Looping his arm through Ally's he held her closer to him. "Why are you quizzing me on all this vocabulary?" He whined. "Ally already asked me all these questions on Saturday."

"Saturday?" Dez asked.

Trish was hurt that her best friend had not bothered to tell her earlier. "You're just telling us now?" She asked.

Ally closed her eyes, knowing how hurt Trish was. Pulling away from Austin, she stood up. Stepping closer to her friends, she clasped her hands in an ever pleading manner. "Please," she begged them. "Our parents don't even know yet."

Still upset, but knowing that she couldn't be mad at Ally for long, Trish sighed, nodding her head in agreement. Austin and Ally seemed happy, so she'd be happy as well. Using her peripheral vision, Trish spotted movement by the doors. Spotting Mr. Dawson walking into the store and knowing that Austin and Ally wanted to be alone while they told their parents, Trish gripped Dez's arm so tightly, she almost drew blood. Even though she wanted to see an over protective father and an arrogant teenage boy get into it, she pulled Dez away.

"Speaking of," She muttered, pulling Dez towards the back door so they could leave. "See ya!" She called back over her shoulder. "Wouldn't wanna be ya!"


	3. Daddy's Little Girl

Suddenly finding themselves alone, Austin and Ally sighed. Their friend's departure had been hasty and Ally wasn't sure if she was ready to tell her father yet. Her father stepped behind the counter, going through the sales receipts of the day. Austin grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her there, Austin kissed her ear before whispering to her. Keeping a wary eye on her father, Ally slapped Austin's shoulder.

"We have to tell him," She whispered back to him.

"Now?"

Pulling Austin's arms away from her, Ally stood up and took a deep breath. Slowly, she took tiny baby steps over to the counter and her dad. With wide eyes, Austin watched her nervously as she drifted her weight from one foot to the other. Closing his eyes, he prayed that everything would go fine. Popping his eyes open, he sighed and followed the girl over to the counter. As much as he wanted to wrap his arms around her again, Austin resisted the urge with her father so close by. Instead, he opted to hold her hand.

"Hi Daddy," she greeted him with a nervous smile. Lester Dawson looked up from his task and over at the young couple. "I have something to tell you."

"We have something to tell you," Austin corrected her.

With her left hand securely tucked into Austin's larger one, Ally used her right hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. She watched her father glance between her and Austin. Obviously, he was trying to read their body language. Nervous, Ally sided closer to Austin. Nervously smiling, she quickly added, "Maybe you should sit down first."

Refusing the invitation to sit down, Lester warily looked at the two teenagers before him. Frowning, Ally scrunched her nose as she waited for her dad to say something. Dropping her hand, Austin snaked his arms around her waist in a protective and claiming manner. Lester glanced from Ally to Austin's arms around his daughter protectively and feared what they had done.

"Allyson," his tone was a warning. "If you're pregnant-"

Horrified that her own father would even think something like that, Ally stepped out of Austin's embrace and closer to her father. "I'm not- I'm still a-" She wasn't sure how to finish any of the sentences she'd started. Placing her hands on the counter to support herself, Ally leaned forward. "Dad," she said rather slowly so that the older man would understand her and not jump to any more conclusions. "I'm not pregnant." Lester sighed in relief at her statement. Breathing deep, Ally stepped back. "But, I've made a decision on college though."

At the mention of college, Lester's eyes lit and his ears piqued up, intrigued by his daughter's decision. Smiling, proud of his daughter, he asked, "Really? You did?"

Nodding in confirmation, Ally smiled, grasping Austin's hand. Pulling him closer to him she said, "And I've decided that I'm not going."

Lester's smile faltered at her confession, wondering what she meant. For months, he'd watched her stress over college applications and studying for the ACT and SAT's. How could she just change her mind so quickly? He opened his mouth to speak, but his daughter spoke again.

"I'm going to marry Austin instead."

Austin was frozen in his place, as if he had been planted there. Opening his mouth to speak, Austin gripped Ally's hand tighter. Before he could say anything though, he closed his mouth. Instead, he opted to watch Mr. Dawson step around the side of the counter so that there were no barriers between him and his daughter. Unfortunately, Austin wasn't sure if the older man was angry or more upset.

Lester's eye narrowed as he watched Ally drop Austin's hand to wrap her arms around his torso, snuggling ever closer to him. She looked so happy with that smile on her face and Lester didn't want to tell her that she couldn't marry the boy. Yet, he had to be the voice of reason for her. Crossing his arms over his chest, he sighed.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Ally," He said.

Abruptly pulling away Austin, Ally's eyes started to water and her jaw slackened and dropped. "What?" She asked her father.

"You're way too young to get married, Ally," He stated, reminding her of her age and school.

Yes, they were young. But they were old enough to know what they wanted and to make their own decisions.

Salty tears were streaming down Ally's pale cheeks, but she decided to do what she never dared to do as a child, talk back. Jutting her chin in the air defiantly, she stated, "I'm 18. You can't tell me what I can or can't do."

Lester's eyes widened in shock. Never before had Ally spoken that way to him. Sighing, he rubbed his face with his hands. He was stressed out. Daddy's girl was talking back. Daddy's girl wanted to get married. Whatever happened to the time when she was about seven and wanted to marry her daddy, because her daddy was the only boy without cooties? He just wanted to protect his baby girl. Was that so wrong?

Feeling like he needed to protect Ally and shield her from heartache, Austin pushed her behind him. He didn't like what Lester had to say either. Though Austin couldn't be mad at the man, knowing that he wanted to do what Austin was trying to do. Protect Ally. His jaw set, Austin stepped forward. "Look, Mr. Dawson," he said sternly. "Ally is eighteen and can make her own decisions. So, whether you like it or not, I'm going to marry her. Just keep in mind, that when she's my wife and if you don't like it, "I can and I will move her so far away from Miami that the only time you will ever see her is on Facebook."

"Austin!" Ally hissed in his ear, grabbing his arm.

She didn't like the way her father reacted to the news about their engagement, but that didn't mean she wanted to cut her father out of her life.

Ignoring her, Austin waved her off, silencing her. With cold eyes, he intently gazed into the older man's eyes, engaging him in a staring contest and a battle of will.

The problem was that neither man could see eye to eye at the moment because in their own ways, they both thought they were protecting the girl that meant more than life itself to the both of them.

Closing his eyes, Lester sighed. Then, his eyes popping open again, he lunged forward and grabbed Ally's arm so that he was talking directly to her and not to her through Austin. Yanking her forward, he opened his mouth to talk.

"I don't want to see you get hurt," Lester told her.

"And I'm not going to hurt her," Austin argued, grabbing Ally's other arm to pull her closer to him. "I love her."

Ally felt like a tug-of-war rope being yanked in different directions as her father pulled her farther from Austin and closer to him. However, Austin didn't like that and pulled her closer to him. Closing her eyes, she decided to just endure the torture. If both men loved her like they claimed, they'd realize they were hurting her and they would stop soon. She was wrong though. Because instead of talking to her, her father argued with Austin, still yanking her to him and away from the teenage boy.

"I loved her mother too," Lester argued, pulling Ally closer to him again. "And looked what happened to us."

Yanking Ally closer to him, Austin shot back, "Mrs. Dawson has a college degree and wanted more out of life than owning a music store."

"And my daughter should go to college so that she can have a career and not have to worry about finances like I do," Lester replied. Again Ally was pulled away from Austin.

"She's marrying a rock star!" Austin exclaimed, narrowing his eyes as he yanked Ally back to him. "She won't have to worry about finances."

"The music world is tough," Lester said, pulling Ally back to him. "You guys should have options in case it doesn't work out."

"Yeah," Austin agreed before pulling Ally closer to him. "Unfortunately, I've always been more of a live in the moment type of guy and go with the flow."

Realizing that they weren't going to stop anytime soon, Ally closed her eyes again. Taking a deep breath, she was able to calm herself down. "Stop!" She yelled at the top of her powerful lungs to make herself heard over the shouting. That had the desired effect because both men stopped and looked at her. Glaring at Austin, before looking down at his tight grip on her arm. The pale skin was becoming discolored by a bright red color as the blood circulation became lessened. "Austin," she sighed. "You don't want to hurt me, but that's what you're doing right now." Immediately, Austin dropped her arm and stepped back. Next, Ally turned to her father who was still gripping her arm. "And Dad," she said.  
"Austin might not have thought this through before he asked me, but I did think about it. And I want to marry him." Pulling out of her father's grasp and not wanting to look at either one of them for them for the time being, Ally brushed past them and jogged up the stairs. Slamming the door shut behind her, she holed herself up alone in the practice room.

Both men watched the young adult rush upstairs, clearly upset. Watching the door of her beloved practice room slam shut, they turned to face each other. Sighing, Austin wondered what he should do now. Before he could think of what to do, Lester spoke, breaking his thought process.

"You're a good kid, Austin," Mr. Dawson said sternly as he followed his daughter's path up the stairs to the second level of Sonic Boom. Turning back to gaze at the teenager with slumped shoulders and a lost expression, he added. "But, I think you and Ally are making a mistake." It wasn't long until he locked himself in his office.

Maybe they were too young to be thinking about marriage and maybe they were making a mistake. But how wrong could it be if they were happy? Maybe a day would come when the music industry turned on them, leaving them to question their relationship, themselves, and life in general as they wonder about what will happen next. Or maybe it wouldn't. While he didn't know what would happen to his career or Ally's for that matter, or what fate had in store for them, there was one thing that he knew. Austin Moon knew for a fact that he loved Ally more than his career and more than music and that he wanted to spend his life with her by his side.

He also knew that the love of his life was upstairs alone and crying.

He also knew that he had to do something about that.

His feet barely touched the ground as he bounded up the steps so fast that he practically flew. While his feet felt light, his heart felt heavy.

They hadn't gone public with their engagement and it was still in the early stages. But, what if Ally was alone right now thinking that she didn't want to marry him? If she suggested that they forget about marriage, Austin knew he would agree, though his instincts would tell him to fight. He never could say no to her anyways. If that's what she suggested, then Austin knew he would take the ring back without complaint and hide it in his sock drawer where he would eventually forget about it. He'd forget about it until his mother was putting away the clean laundry and accidentally discovered it. Then he'd have to reveal the whole story to his mother and break down sobbing like a baby.

And while he needed to tell his parents that he wanted to marry Ally; that was not how he wanted them to find out.

So, standing outside the practice room, he gently rapped his knuckles against the door to announce his presence. Remaining silent to hear her reply, Austin waited outside the door. But, her reply never came. All he could hear was the faint, muffled sounds of her sobs. Sighing, he pushed the door open and took a seat next to her at the piano.

"Ally." She turned away from him, refusing to speak. "Come on, Als," he said, begging for her attention. He grabbed her arm, but she pulled away.

Taking a deep breath, she got up from her seat on the piano bench and left the close proximity she was in to Austin and opted to take a seat in a nearby chair instead. Her eyes were glued to his as she fiddled with the ring on her finger. As much as she wanted to speak, she didn't. Austin didn't say much either, plummeting them both in to silence.

The ring on her finger symbolized how much she cared about the man in front of her. And she did love him, even when he hurt her. It was ironic how a few short years ago they only ever wanted to be friends. But then, Ally was just a shy little girl with stage fright and freaky hobbies, and Austin was the complete opposite of her. Within those few years, she had grown up quite a bit and she turned into a beautiful butterfly. Suddenly, she wasn't that dork anymore and Austin found himself falling more and more in love with her.

The silence was slowly killing Austin like a flesh eating bacteria would and he wanted to stop it. Taking a deep breath, he scooted to the edge of the piano bench so that he was closer to her. She was cute, staring and playing with the ring on her finger. The ring that he had given her. He loved the thought of her being his forever. It felt like he was on cloud nine and that he could do anything. No, he knew he could do anything because she was with him.

But he still didn't understand why she was so upset. Was it something he said? Something he did? Unfortunately, Ally was a woman and Austin knew that he would never understand how women thought. Dating should come with a manual or a how to guide, because he was a master of screwing up relationships. Hopefully though, he'd never screw his relationship up with Ally beyond compare. She was really the only girl he could see himself spending his life with.

"Um," he said, stalling as he tried to find the right words to say to her. She stopped playing with her ring and looked up at him, waiting for him to speak. Great, he thought sarcastically, he had her undivided attention. This would be so much easier if she was only half listening to him. Because if she was only half listening to him, she wouldn't get mad at what he said because she wasn't paying attention. Unfortunately, she was listening. He should probably prepare for having the ring thrown at his head and the sob story he'd tell his mother when she found it hidden in his sock drawer. "So, um," he started again, before stopping.

Exasperatedly, Ally sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for Austin to speak. Raising her eyebrows, she knew she was intimidating him by the way he gulped.

"Do you think," he started rather slowly. "That maybe you could-" He was making no sense the way he was talking so slowly. "I don't know," He said slowly again before speaking the rest in a rush without any proper spacing. "Tellmewhyyou'resoupset?"

Austin may not have been making much sense, but Ally was a quick thinker and caught everything that he said while somebody else might have asked him to repeat what he said. "Seriously?" She asked, uncrossing her arms as she jumped to her feet. "You don't know why I'm upset?"

Austin snorted. "If I did, I wouldn't have asked."

She wanted to scream at how dense he could be at times. Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed, trying to calm herself down. Calmly, she took a few deep breaths. "I'm mad because of what you said to my dad, Austin!"

Oh. That's why she was upset.

Austin sighed as he tried to think of a solution. Maybe he shouldn't have said that to Mr. Dawson, but Austin meant every word he said. Mr. Dawson wasn't being fair to them. They might have been kids, but they were old enough to make their own decisions and to know what they wanted. And as much as Austin didn't want Ally to cut her family out of her life to be with him, he was prepared for that.

Standing to his full height, Austin stepped closer to Ally. When he was directly in front of her, he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her flush against him. At first Ally tried to struggle against him, but soon relaxed to his touch and his charming smile. "I just want us to be together," he said, his voice low and his eyes downcast.

"I know," Ally replied quietly, her arm snaking upwards behind his neck. Standing on her toes, she pecked her lips against his. Resting her head against his chest as he tightly embraced her, she said in a low voice, almost as whisper, "I just don't want to be on bad terms with my dad."

Austin nodded as he just held her. It wasn't long until silence broke out, leaving them to contently think about the future. The silence didn't last long however, because it was interrupted by Austin's cell phone ringing.

Sighing, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the caller I.D. It read, _Mom. _Kissing, Ally's forehead, he said his quick goodbyes saying he had to go before leaving the practice room and rushing down the stairs and out of the store.

When Austin left, Ally wandered out of the practice room and down that hall to her father's office. Gently tapping on the closed the door to announce her presence, Ally waited for him to answer. Hearing a gruff, "Come in," Ally obeyed the command and pushed the door open.

Her father was seated at his desk amongst a clutter of papers and other things. His face lit up with a half-smile when he saw her. And Ally knew that he was still a little upset from earlier. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. "Daddy," she said rather shyly. "I know you worry about me and maybe Austin and I are a little young to get married, but I know that I want this. I want to marry Austin and I would appreciate it if you would give us your blessing.

Mr. Dawson pushed away from his desk and stood up. Stepping around his desk and walking towards her, he smiled. Wrapping her tiny frame into an embrace, he said, "And you have it, I just don't want to see my little girl get hurt."

"I know," Ally softly spoke against. "If it makes you feel better, we plan to graduate before we get married."

"Austin's a good kid," Mr. Dawson replied. "If you came to me wanting to marry anyone else, I'd of locked you in your bedroom until you turned 30."

Smiling," Ally tightly hugged her father. "I love you, Dad."


	4. Something About a Ring

Austin couldn't help but wonder why his mother was calling him as he walked home that evening. He didn't do anything that would land him in trouble and there was no way she could know about the detention he'd gotten today. She couldn't be calling to make sure he did his homework because she'd stopped checking it years ago. And if she knew that he'd asked Ally to marry him, she'd have already started planning the wedding.

Pushing his thoughts out of his head, Austin pushed the front door of his home open. Stepping into the living room, Austin closed his eyes and smelled the wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen. Frowning, Austin's eyes popped open. The scent coming from the kitchen was not pancakes like his mother made every Monday night. Instead, it smelled like meat loaf. Austin Moon does not like meat loaf.

He found his parents standing side by side with their arms crossed, blocking the staircase so that he could not escape to his room.

"Austin Monica Moon."

Their feet were tapping the carpet.

Austin gulped. Whatever was on their minds could not be good.

Although Mike Moon was the one to clear his throat, it was his wife, Mimi, who spoke first.

"Lester called," she said calmly, informing Austin.

Austin was confused as to why his mother would say that. Besides he didn't know which Lester she was referring to, even though he had a pretty good guess. They knew three different Lester's. There was Ally's dad, Lester. Then there was their mail man named Lester. Finally, there was his dentist, Lester J. Harris D.D.S.

The dentist wouldn't be calling. He'd just gotten his teeth cleaned last week and received a Scooby-Doo sticker for not having any cavities. And while the mail man was an older gentleman and an interesting guy to talk to since he was always predicting the Lord's second coming, he didn't own a telephone and swore cell phones was work of the devil. So, there was only one Lester left that he knew.

Lester Dawson.

"Dawson?" He asked. "Ally's dad?"

"MmHm," was his parent's simultaneous response.

Raising his eyebrows, Mike looked down at his son. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

Slinging his backpack off his shoulders, he dumped it on the carpeted floor. "Yeah," he said, unzipping it. Bending at the waist, he pulled out a yellow folder. "I got a C+ on my English test!" Austin exclaimed, holding it out proudly for his parents to see.

While Mimi's eyes lit up at the decent grade her son received, she didn't acknowledge it with words. Her eyebrows too raised to her hairline. "Is there something you'd like to tell us about Ally?" She asked him instead.

Frowning, Austin tucked the paper back into his folder and placed the folder back into his bag of school books. "Ally got an A+ on her English test?" He stated more as a question, confused as to why his parents would care about Ally's grade.

Sighing, Mike uncrossed his arms and dropped his hands to his side. "Maybe you'd like to tell us something about a ring," He said.

"On a very important finger," Mimi continued with a smile.

He couldn't play dumb on that.

Groaning, Austin pushed his hair back and out of his eyes. He couldn't believe Ally's dad had called his parents before he had a chance to tell them anything. His parents didn't even like her dad and her dad didn't even like his parents. Of course it was all a big mess thanks to Trish, but still. Sighing, he plastered a smile on his face.

"I asked Ally to marry me."

Mike stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on his son's shoulder. "This is a big decision to make Austin."

Mike may have been okay with his only son getting married without question, but Mimi wasn't. Narrowing her eyes, her arm muscles tightened and her body stiffened. "There are many good reasons to get married," she informed Austin. "But marrying just because of a baby is not one of them!"

Even though he remained silent, Austin really just wanted to open his eyes wide, jut his chin forward and let his mouth drop at his mother's statement. Did everybody think that he wanted to get married so soon was because Ally was pregnant? Which is impossible because Ally wasn't pregnant. There weren't any possible way that she could be especially since they were both virgins. Well, he supposed Ally could be pregnant. Of course it would have to be through divine intervention, but then the kid would be like the next Jesus and-He's going to stop thinking and yell at his mom to get her to stop talking.

"Mom!"

Mimi seemed to relax as she stepped forward and placed her hand on Austin's other shoulder. "Sweetie, it's okay if Ally is pregnant-"

Brushing his parents' hands off of his shoulders, Austin jumped back. "Mom!" He exclaimed again, horrified that his own mother had that little faith in him. Earning his parents' full attention, Austin sighed thinking of the best way to continue. "Ally's no-I just-and-" This would be a whole easier for him if he had a way with words like Ally did. After all, there was a good reason why she wrote all of his songs. Unfortunately, none of her talent had rubbed off on him. There was no doubt by Mike and Mimi's expressions that they were confused. So, watching his parents trying to decipher his mess of jumbled thoughts, Austin took a deep breath, trying to get his thoughts in order. "Ally's not pregnant," he stated. His mom who would have been elated if Ally actually was pregnant, sighed in relief along with her husband. So, Austin decided to continue. "Ally and I love each other and want to get married. That's it."

Mimi gushed, rushing forward to wrap her son up in a giant bear hug as she kissed his face. The woman loved love. Sometimes, Austin wasn't sure who loved love more. His mom or Ally. "I'm finally going to have a daughter!" she exclaimed. Flying backwards, the elated woman clapped her hands together, twirling in place. "The wedding will be big and there'll be-"

"Fireworks!" Austin exclaimed enthusiastically, "and acrobats on jet packs while Ally and I get married on a yacht a dusk!"

Mike stood back and watched on in amusement at how excited his wife and son were. Mimi had always been an over imaginative dreamer and Austin was more so. Raising his eyebrows, he asked his son the only thing that came to his mind after hearing his son's crazy plans.

"How do you plan to pay for all that?"

Abruptly, Austin stopped daydreaming and turned to face his father. Eyes wide and mouth dropped open in shock, he exclaimed dumbly, "You have to pay to get married?!"

"MmHm," his father nodded.

When the conversation turned to that of finances, Mimi stopped gushing and store at her son. Crossing her arms over her chest once again, she said sternly, "Oh and Lester was kind enough to let us know of the thousands of dollars we owe him in damages to instruments that you broke."

Austin gulped. Maybe clarinet golf, tuba basketball, harmonica dominoes, banjo badminton, flute fencing, and saxophone La Crosse did not end well at all, but he and Dez needed something to do while Ally was working. Alright, he probably shouldn't have worn that trumpet as a top hat either, but it made Ally laugh and that was worth it. Except that she wasn't laughing when the trumpet fell and broke.

Still, Austin was not going to admit to all of that to his parents. Sheepishly smiling, Austin rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to come up with an excuse his parents would buy.

"Dez broke them?"

"And after you pay for everything you and Dez broke at Sonic Boom," Mimi reminded Austin. "You should know that your father and I bought you a savings bond."

"A what?" Austin asked, wishing he had paid more attention in the Government class he had taken the semester before.

"We thought it wise if we saved for your future," Mimi explained to her son who frowned. "And thought that a savings bond would be the best way to do that."

Yawning from the boredom of his mother's lecture about savings bonds, Austin asked, "Great, so when do I get my money?"

"20 years."

"20 years?!" Austin screeched, like a talking bird that could only repeat what it heard. "But, I'll be like 70!" he exclaimed dramatically.

Rolling her eyes, Mimi picked up Austin's backpack and set it by the front door. Next, she rearranged and fluffed the throw pillows on the sofa. "You should really try to be better at math," she commented to Austin as she busied herself around the room. "I don't think Ally wants to marry a high school drop out."

Austin rolled his eyes in response to his mother's comment. Thinking about what his parents had told him about the savings bond, Austin scrunched his nose in thought. "Wait?" He asked, jumping in front of his father. "Does this mean I have to get a job?!"

Mike nodded. "We could always use some help in the afternoons at the mattress store."

Austin winced and looked over at his mother, hoping that she wouldn't agree to the torture his father was trying to inflict on him. Unfortunately, she only agreed with her husband. Why couldn't his parents be normal and disagree on everything?

"Now what are you doing?" Mike asked his busy wife.

"We have to have Ally over for dinner and we can't let her think her husband to be is a slob!" Mimi exclaimed.

"He is a slob!" Mike replied.

While his parents were arguing about him being messy, Austin took the time to slip past them and up the stairs to the safe confines of his bedroom. Sighing, Austin flopped onto his bed, bouncing up and down as if he were on a trampoline. When the mattress had settled and he stopped bouncing, Austin grabbed his phone from his pocket and looked at the display screen. The picture he had saved as his background was of Ally on the first date they went on after getting back together. She looked like a princess in that tiara, even if the tiara was purple plastic and came out of a McDonald's happy meal.

Resting his head on his fluffed pillows, Austin held the phone above his face as he searched his contact's list for Ally's number. Dialing the familiar number, he held the phone to his ear and listened to the comforting sound of Ally's phone ringing on the other end.

"Hi Austin," she answered the phone. Her voice was gloomy and not the cheery tone he had expected her to answer with.

"What's up?" he asked her, concerned.

"My dad grounded me," she replied.

This bit of news caused Austin to sit up in bed. "Why? What for?" He eagerly asked. "Is this about us?"

Ally didn't say anything for a short period of time and Austin could almost picture her biting her lower lip and shaking her head no. But then she spoke again. "He grounded me for talking back to him earlier. My punishment lasts two weeks and I am not allowed to leave the house except for school and work. Unfortunately, he also took my book so I can't write!"

"You want to come over for dinner?" Austin asked, hoping that would cheer her up.

"Austin, I'm grounded!"

"Oh yeah," he mumbled. Sighing, he tapped his thigh as he thought of what to say next. "I'd rather be grounded," he continued in a mutter.

"What?" Ally asked.

"My parents are making me work at Moon's Mattress Kingdom after school," he complained.

"Sorry," Ally said feeling sympathetic to his plight, knowing how he hated his parent's store.

Silence came between them for a time after that as they didn't know what to say to each other. Finally, Austin agreed to break the silence. "My parents know about us," he said.

"You told them?"

"No," Austin snorted. "Your dad called them before I could tell them," he stated.

Even though he couldn't see her, Austin thought that she was cringing at his news. "I'm sorry, Austin."

"It's fine," he shrugged. "At least they're happy about it," he stated. "Actually, my mom started to plan the wedding already."

Ally giggled, but then her voice grew sad again. "I have to go," she said. "My dad wants me off the phone."

"Okay," Austin nodded in agreement. "I'll see you at school tomorrow," he said, knowing that Ally was nodding. "Oh and Ally," he said before she could hang up. "I love you."

Her voice was quiet and Austin could hear the blush in her voice as she said, "I love you too, Austin."

Ending the call, Austin fell backwards and sighed. Nothing was going according to plan. Hopefully, tomorrow would be better.


End file.
